Christmas
by darkestboy
Summary: Adventures in time and space. Spoilers for Doctor Who, Torchwood, The Sarah Jane Adventures and k9.


**Christmas**

**Characters:** 1st Doctor, 2nd Doctor, 3rd Doctor, 4th Doctor, 5th Doctor, 6th Doctor, 7th Doctor, 8th Doctor, 9th Doctor, 10th Doctor, 11th Doctor, Ian Chesterton, Barbara Wright, Steven Taylor, Ben Jackson, Polly Wright, Liz Shaw, Romana 2, Leela, K9, Peri Brown, Evelyn Smythe, Melanie Bush, Ace McShane, Grace Holloway, Rose Tyler, Mickey Smith, Martha Jones, Donna Noble, Jack Harkness, Alonso Frame, Sarah Jane Smith, Amy Pond, Rory Williams, Jeff Angelo, Luke Smith, Clyde Langer, Rani Chandra and Alistair Gryffen.

Chapter 1

**Synopsis:** A collection of Christmas themed stories throughout time and space.  
**Spoilers: **Various from all of **Doctor Who, Torchwood, The Sarah Jane Adventures **and** K9.**

**Name:** That Christmas When You Were Gone  
**Characters:** 9th Doctor, Rose Tyler, Mickey Smith, Jackie Tyler.  
**Synopsis:** An encounter with an alien forces Rose to remember that travelling with the Doctor had consequences for her family. Set between _World War Three_ and _Dalek_.

She hadn't noticed slipping away. It had been the most peculiar of things for the both of them. One minute, Rose Tyler and the Doctor were in the TARDIS discussing where to venture to next after the fall of Downing Street and the next minute, she had simply slipped.

"This can't be right." Rose looked around and found that she was no longer in the TARDIS.

It wasn't the only thing that she had noticed as well. As she could feel the cold and wetness of her feet, Rose looked up to the snow trickling down all over her surroundings. The street she was on and the building that she was standing next to was more than familiar. It had been her last place of employment and one that she hadn't been in a rush to see again — Henriks.

"Welcome home, love," a familiar voice whispered from behind. Rose sensed a familiar set of arms snaking around her waist and when she turned to look at the man holding her, she couldn't help but feel that the situation wasn't right.

"Mickey?"

"Who else were you expecting, babe?" Mickey smiled as he leaned in for a kiss but before he could plant one on her lips, Rose broke from his grip and stared at him with confusion.

"Rose, what's wrong?"

"Nothing." Rose stammered unconvincingly. "It's just ..."

"Just what?" Mickey smiled as he looked around the street and then at the concerned and confused look on his girlfriend's face. "Don't tell me you think I forgot, eh?"

"Forgot what?" Now Rose was genuinely confused, something which didn't seem to bother Mickey in the slightest as he kept smiling at her.

"Your Christmas present." Mickey pulled Rose back into his grip tightly but his demeanour was still friendly. "As if I would. Come with me."

Before Rose could specifically ask where she was being brought to, it seemed like only a second had passed before she was in the very other place she enjoyed being — her own home.

"I see you found her then." Jackie Tyler smiled at Mickey as she was entering the dining room with a big tray in her arms that was covered with a huge silver lid over it. Whatever it was Rose certainly couldn't help but notice the smell of the steaming tray.

"You took your time, didn't you?" Jackie chastised her only child. "You'd be late for your own funeral."

"Sorry mum," Rose said sheepishly as the big tray was laid on the table. Mickey had pulled up a chair for Rose to sit on, which she grateful accepted.

Taking a moment to process everything around her, Rose had then noticed that the house was littered in Christmas decorations with a majestic looking tree standing proudly in a corner by the living room. However the decorations seemed odd. No baubles or stars or even a fairy on top of the tree. Instead there was a nutcracker, one that looked too familiar for comfort.

"Where did you get that tree?" Rose got up from her seat and headed towards the tree. Both Jackie and Mickey followed her gaze as Rose looked at the tree in a transfixed state.

Touching the tree, she noticed that the decorations looked a little too familiar for her own like — the shape of an Auton head, the little spidery creatures that Cassandra had used to cause havoc on Platform One and even strips of Gwyneth's caps were also on there and spherical shapes that looked like the eyes of the Slitheen but the nutcracker took her the most by surprise. It was the Doctor.

"Doctor." Rose looked shocked as she took the nutcracker down from top of the tree and looked into its eyes. They were the only thing about the nutcracker that could physically move and they were bulging frantically.

As Rose turned around, both Jackie and Mickey glared at her coldly. Rose knew there and then that this was not going to end up being a pleasant conversation.

"Let me guess?" Mickey scowled. "The Doctor's in trouble and you go running to him. You couldn't even spend Christmas with your own family. Then again, you did have little problem with letting us think you were dead for a year."

"That's not fair."

"Isn't it?" Mickey countered.

"It's not that simple." Rose clutched to the wooden Doctor as tight as she could but she could see the anger and disgust in both Jackie and Mickey's eyes building up.

"It is that simple, Rose." Jackie went to put an arm on her daughter's shoulder. "You have the perfect choice. The Doctor or us."

"I don't want to choose between you both." Rose looked at her mother in a crestfallen manner. "I love you both."

"You can't have both of us, Rose." Mickey snapped at her. "It has to be a choice. Us or him. The TARDIS or the world ... ahh,"

As Mickey and Jackie both began to spasm, Rose too found herself writhing in pain and falling to the floor, knocking over the Christmas tree in the process.

_Make a choice, make a choice, make a choice_.

The voice had been calling out but Rose realised that she wasn't really at home. As she opened her eyes, she heard the familiar whirring of the TARDIS and the sound of the sonic screwdriver also whirring the ropes that had bound her hands to a chair. Rose turned to look to see a face that was the most comforting of faces right now.

"You're gonna be fine," the Doctor smiled at Rose. She stared at him as he helped her to her feet and began to walk her towards the TARDIS. Rose blacked out as the door of the spaceship closed.

Hours had passed since her second or third slip into unconsciousness and Rose found herself lying on the bed of her sleeping quarters. The Doctor was sitting beside her on a chair.

"Better?"

"What happened?" Rose looked at the Doctor as he produced a red, glowing orb. Rose could've sworn that she heard voices from the orb.

"The Kargn happened." The Doctor began to stand up as the look from Rose's face meant that she wanted an actual explanation and not just a name. "Slightly scavenger like, they mainly target time travellers and feed off their emotions, especially heightened ones to extend their own life force."

"I thought they wanted our help?" Rose placed her feet out of the bed and just sat as she faced the Doctor. She had remembered something appeared on the psychic paper before being taken.

"On Christmas." The Doctor looked at her with such concern. "No, the only thing they wanted was to feast. They try to feast on at least ten time travellers a year and sadly, you were the tenth intended."

"So what happens now?"

"We drop them off to the Shadow Proclamation," the Doctor said as his grip on the glowing orb tightened all the more. "This can only hold them for so long."

"But wouldn't it be Christmas Eve, assuming we're staying on the same time stream?"

"It's not a deterrent for the Shadow Proclamation," the Doctor smiled. "Afterwards, we'll do something fantastic. Whatever you like."

"Shopping at Bloomingdales?"

"Why not?" the Doctor smiled as he set the co-ordinates for the Shadow Proclamation. "After all, it can be Christmas all the time."

"Even the ones you've missed?" Rose asked with a pensive look on her face.

"Even them, why'd you ask?"

"No reason." Rose deflected the Doctor's question but he wasn't convinced, so she put her foot down. "Kargn first, then Bloomingdales and then explanation, okay?"

The Doctor said nothing but smiled comfortingly at his young companion. Even though he then focused on the monitor and began talking about various traditional Christmas customs on different planets, Rose could tell that he was studying her and she could also tell that he knew that she knew he was studying her but neither of them said a word.

Being held captive for however long by the Kargn, Rose found herself beginning to think about that Christmas when both her mother and her boyfriend thought she was dead and then the guilt hit her. No matter how much she enjoyed travelling with the Doctor, Rose made herself a mental promise to never put her loved ones through that sort of pain again and while it probably wasn't anywhere near Christmas back on the Powell Estate, Rose knew that both her mother and Mickey were due an early present or two. She only hoped that the Doctor's store credit was in good condition.

- The End -

Chapter 2

**Name:** Wrong Woman  
**Characters:** 5th Doctor, Peri Brown, Original Characters.  
**Synopsis:** The Doctor and Peri attend a Christmas ball as an estranged father and daughter find themselves reunited after twenty five years. Set between _Planet Of Fire_ and _The Caves Of Androzani_.

London, 1845.

It was a Christmas ball like there was no other. The finest and richest of people had gathered around to celebrate the birth of one future Lady Eleanor Pernance. Born four days ahead of schedule, Eleanor's proud parents, Verity and Sidney Newman had spent the entire evening praising the girl in front of their friends and family.

It had been the first time that they had celebrated the birth of their child. Unfortunately for them, it would also be the last as they knew it. As the well-wishers had descended, two guests were still sitting on their stairs of their lavish manor, making no attempts to move.

Verity had spotted the two and advanced towards them, initially wary of the two of the people who looked at her with expectant eyes. Her heart was in a mess and the day she had dreaded had finally come. What was she was going to tell her friends and family? Even Sidney couldn't understand her actions.  
"You said I would have longer with her." Verity tried to stifle a tear. "Please, until the New Year. That's only a week away. Just one more week."

"And then it will be another week after that and then another." The older woman rose from the steps she had been sitting on. "We had an arrangement. One life for another. Your husband's for your offspring's. Our offspring."

"I know," Verity muttered ruefully, before calling out to her husband. "There's no point hiding, Sidney. Bring her to them."

Sidney had been in the dining area, tending to his daughter, a child he had never expected that he would live long enough to see born into the world. At first he tried desperately to pretend that he had not heard Verity's barely audible calling of him but when the second person stepped, a tall blond man, Sidney knew that he would have no choice.

"We will take good care of her." The young man made a point of putting his arms out for Sidney to hand Eleanor over to him. "She'll want for nothing."

"Except for her real family." Sidney snapped, letting his anger slip out. "What are we supposed to tell people? Our friends? They've seen her. We can't just pretend she doesn't exist."

"The truth," the older woman said to both Sidney and Verity standing out in the hall as she stood by the side of the younger man cradling baby Eleanor. "One life for another."

Before either Sidney or Verity could answer, a circle of blue, pulsating light surrounded the aliens and Eleanor. Sidney watched as Verity threw herself into his arms, wailing as the light shimmered before both the aliens and the baby had disappeared from their home forever.

Inconsolable, it would be six months later before the couple would seperate as Verity died of a lonely heart and Sidney kept himself locked in the house, shutting himself off from the rest of the world until slowly being coaxed out years later.

The Doctor and Peri had found themselves in the last few weeks getting to know each other all the more. When information such as Gallifreyan politics and rare botanical wonders had become something of a sidestep, the two of them realised that they actually enjoyed each other's company.

Peri herself had found that travelling in the TARDIS had been much more interesting than being stuck in Lanzarote with a mother and stepfather that barely acknowledged her existence and the Doctor, despite his initial resistance to travelling with someone else, had to admit that he actually enjoyed the young American's company all the more.

"So, where's this party you're taking me to?" Peri smiled as she found herself raiding one of the TARDIS wardrobes for some appropriate Victorian attire. She settled for a purple ensemble with the least threatening of corsets. "And why do I have to wear this?"

"Blending in," the Doctor smiled as he laced up Peri's corset. "It usually helps."

"And don't you think wearing that will make you stick out?" Peri pointed to his own usual attire in a slightly unimpressed manner.

"You want me to change into something different?" The Doctor raised an eyebrow and looked her dubiously.

"Why not?" Peri smiled. "Fair's fair and you did say blending in was usually helpful."

"Me and my big mouth," the Doctor sighed as he headed towards the wardrobe and pulled out a dapper evening suit.

Ten minutes later, the TARDIS had been parked at the end of the street and both the Doctor and Peri had walked hand in hand to the hottest social gathering of Christmas 1870. Once inside the mansion of Lord Sidney Newman, they had taken their glasses of champagne and dined with locals, including one particular fellow whom Peri was hoping to spend considerably less time with if she could manage to get away from.

"That's very interesting," Peri smiled sweetly, barely containing her sarcasm as she made for an exit. The Doctor gave her a look that said don't be long. Peri shot him one back to say that she didn't intend to rush back anytime soon. The Doctor groaned as he gulped his champagne.

Peri had made her way through the kitchen when she had bumped into the owner of the house, nearly spilling his drink all over him.

"Oh, I'm so sorry." Peri tried to apologise. "Here, let me help you with that."

"No, there's no need." Sidney had gently brushed off her attempts of helping him but before Peri could get past him, Sidney looked into her eyes, lost for a moment, before saying to the startled woman. "Eleanor?"

"No, I'm Peri. You must have the wrong woman." Peri said simply but she could see the hurt in his eyes and for a tiny moment, she wanted to ask him who Eleanor happened to be but decided not to.

"My mistake." Sidney brushed past her and went into the kitchen, wiping his eyes as Peri could only look on. "I apologise."

The Doctor was at the end of his tether with Mr Fisherwick's constant withering on. For the last ten minutes, the balding man had said about twenty different things that were either offensive or outdated by Victorian standards and short of knocking the man out, the Doctor knew that it was time to eject himself from the conversation before he lost the will to live.

"Sorry, must dash." The Doctor shook Fisherwick's hands tightly and smiled falsely at the man. "Love to continue this conversation at a later date."

"What date? I didn't even catch your name." Fisherwick looked confused as the young man sauntered off. "What doctor are you? Oh never mind."

As Fisherwick had found himself another unwitting victim to bore to death, the Doctor moved past the kitchen staff humming Christmas carols to themselves as he eyes darted for Peri but she had been nowhere to be found.

_She must have slipped outside. I told her not to wander off_.

Peri had indeed slipped outside as not only had her brief encounter with Sidney raised some unpleasant and sad memories but the sight of a young girl that looked similar to her had caught her attention, motivating Peri to pursue her as far as the graveyard where the woman stood over the grave of the late Lady Verity Newman.

"Why did you follow me?" the woman didn't look at Peri but knew well and proper that the American was standing behind her.

"I don't know." Peri admitted. "I just saw you and something made me follow you. You looked sad. No-one should be sad at Christmas."

"No-one should also have loss at Christmas either." The woman placed a red rose on the top of Verity's grave. "I was too late."

"Late for what?"

This time around the woman turned around but when she did, it wasn't just the American standing there. Beside the girl was standing a young, sandy haired man with time in his eyes. His youthful looks deceived the fact that he lived many lives over. She stared at them both with curiosity.

"I was a gift long ago," Eleanor smiled ruefully. "A last hope for another race, well, the start of two races to become entwined for the rest of eternity but it failed and then I was cast aside, labelled a wrong woman. My life was for his and when I wasn't useful, they wanted nothing more to do with me."

"So they cast you out," the Doctor finished for her. "I know what that's like, Eleanor."

"I bet you do." Eleanor didn't doubt his sincerity. "I spent the last few years trying to find my parents and tonight, I got lucky. Well, one of them at least. I guess I'll never know my mother now. Maybe I should leave."

"Don't. Why not go and talk to your father?" Peri asked, realising who the woman finally was. "Give him the best Christmas ever."

"What if he rejects me?"

"Trust me, he won't." The Doctor smiled, extending his hand for Eleanor to hold on to. At first, she held back but then took the Doctor's hand and walked back into the manor with the young man and the American girl.

Twenty five years ago, a Christmas dinner had foretold a dark time in the life of Sidney Newman but now, there had been light when the Doctor and Peri Brown had reintroduced him to his daughter, Eleanor. She bore the spitting image of his late wife as well as her own empathy and compassion that made him beam with pride.

Hours later after the guests had all left, the Doctor and Peri had made their goodbyes and wished both Sidney and Eleanor the best of luck starting their lives as father and daughter once again.

Walking hand in hand back to the TARDIS, Peri had been smiling at the Doctor to the point where he couldn't take it anymore and just had to ask.

"What?"

"This party?" Peri let go of his hand. "More than just a party, wasn't it?"

"I don't know what you mean." The Doctor tried to act all innocent. Peri responded with a snowball in her hand.

"Might have been a mission."

"I knew it," Peri smiled, then laughed as she whacked him with the snowball. "A party's never straightforward with you at all."

"Is that a bad thing?"

"No." Peri stopped for a moment, stroked his face and then folded her arms. "What you did was wonderful."

"What make you think I did anything?" The Doctor had bent down to wrap up a snowball in his hand.

"Eleanor said she got lucky." Peri countered. "Something tells me you had a lot to do with that. If this is what travelling in the TARDIS is like, I don't ever want to go home."

"And you won't have to," the Doctor smiled back at her. "Peri?"

"What?" Peri looked at him quizzically.

"Merry Christmas." The Doctor managed to get her in the shoulder with the snowball, spurring Peri to bend down to make her own little retaliation.

"Oh, you are so paying for that one, Doctor. Christmas or not."

With that, Peri had chased the Doctor into the TARDIS, missing him with the snowball but as the two of them left Victorian London, they smiled contently as they knew that they had brought good to a very lonely old man.

- The End -

Chapter 3

**Name:** Cave Of The Cybermen  
**Characters:** 10th Doctor, Martha Jones, Donna Noble, Cybermen.  
**Synopsis: **The Doctor, Donna and Martha find themselves in a village where the inhabitants last hope of seeing another Christmas lie in the hands of some familiar enemies. Set between _The Unicorn And The Wasp_ and _Silence In The Library_.

The whirring had stopped and in the heart of a tiny Scottish village called Cramond, the TARDIS had landed perfectly and on time. Well, that was what the Doctor was hoping for.

"1850?" Donna Noble stepped out of the TARDIS and looked around the area they had landed and raised a sceptical eyebrow towards the skinny man in his blue suit as she dusted some of the snow off her arms and hoodie. "Not to go all _Time Team_ on you but why do I get the feeling your history's off, spaceman?"

"Oi," the Doctor muttered defensively as he stepped out of the TARDIS with Martha Jones swiftly following him. "My history's perfect. Well, most of the time."

"Are you sure about that?" Donna looked around the village and gawped at the architecture that surrounded the three of them.

"Okay, maybe less 1850 ..." the Doctor grudgingly admitted.

"And more?" Martha injected, folding her arms tightly, clutching herself and wishing that she had brought a warmer jacket than the one she was currently wearing. Donna had the right idea with the faux fur winter coat she was currently wearing.

"More 1650." The Doctor finished. "Still, it's history. Maybe not Shakespeare or Agatha Christie but there are moments in time that do go unaccounted for."

"And let me guess, this is one of them?" Donna scoffed a little, gently ribbing the Time Lord as she pucked him lightly on the shoulder. The Doctor however was not too impressed with Donna's teasing.

"Exactly and before Martha dies of frostbite here, let's go and get something to eat, shall we?"

"Oh, very funny, Doctor," Martha smiled as she pointed towards the nearest tavern and headed towards it, with the Doctor and Donna taking her lead. "Here looks good."

As the three of them headed inside the tavern, the first thing that became horribly apparent was the overwhelming stench of the place. The Doctor passed handkerchiefs around as he, Donna and Martha all tried to combat the smell of what was clearly becoming identified as decayed flesh.

"You were saying?" Donna looked at Martha unimpressed, before something caught her attention from a far off corner. "Oh god, is that what I think it is?"

"Depends what you're thinking." The Doctor waved his sonic screwdriver, before looking at the readings. His face became grim.

"Doctor?" Martha knew the look on that face. That look was always a good indication that trouble wasn't far behind.

"I don't think we'll be getting served in here anytime soon."

"They're dead, aren't they?" Martha took a further step towards the corner where each step only intensified the smell.

The Doctor closely behind her, used the sonic screwdriver to shatter a nearby window, which not only allowed some much needed cold air into the building but also provided a smidgen of light as well. Lying there slumped in a corner was a monstrosity that was formerly a person.

"What the hell is that?" Donna looked with initial horror before her facial expressions softened to something more empathetic and saddened as she watched the Doctor and Martha stare at the sight with familiarity. "Doctor? Martha? What is that?"

The dead body had wired sticking out, looking every bit the part of a semi-conversion, which raised more alarm bells for the Doctor.

"Half-man, half machine, they're here." Martha kept her voice cool but inside she was trembling. They were one of the last creatures she ever wanted to encounter again.

"What is?" Donna asked impatiently. "You're worrying me, both of you. What did this?"

"Cybermen," the Doctor answered for her. "Half-man, half-machine, completely devoid of emotion or unity. They're here but why?"

"To save us," a voice interjected.

The Doctor, Donna and Martha turned around to see that they were no longer alone. A boy, no younger than sixteen or seventeen at the very least held a shotgun in his arms and kept it pointed at the three of them. Martha looked at the young man and saw that he looked both emaciated and fatigued with a desperate glint in his eye.

"And who might you be?" The Doctor stepped forward, extending his hand in gesture to shake but the young man only kept his gun pointed at the Time Lord in mistrust. "Don't worry, I can help."

"I very much doubt that." The boy responded sceptically to the spiky haired man.

"At least let me try." The Doctor risked stepping closer towards the young man who backed out more until the both of them were outside in the snow again. Donna and Martha promptly followed them outside.

"Why?" the boy asked, realising that they were outside. "No man has ever been able to help. What makes you think you can?"

"Because if you're depending on the Cybermen for salvation, then I'm sorry, but you're doomed." The Doctor looked at the boy. "What happened to this village?"

"Death," the boy said simply. "We're carrying the plague and the Cybermen are here to save us. On this Christmas night, they have come to set us free."

"It's Christmas?" Donna looked around the deserted village, unable to spot anything outside the cold wintry weather that would suggest such a thing.

"Not if the Cybermen have their way." The Doctor looked at his flame haired companion bleakly, before looking back at the boy. "I promise you whatever deal you've made with them, it can only end badly."

"We'll have life." The boy was looking but it wasn't at the three strangers that had just landed in his village. It was at something towards the shadows, clanking away as its stomps grew louder with each passing second. "I doubt you can make the same offer."

"Doctor," Martha called out, her voice low but the worry slipping through nonetheless. "Cybermen."

"Oh no." The Doctor turned around to see that two fully converted Cybermen were now surrounding them. To make matters worse, the boy had then pointed his gun at the Doctor's head.

"Oi, hands off you great lump of metal." Donna screeched angrily as one of the Cybermen gripped her arm roughly. Martha's attempts to try and help Donna were dashed when the other one had grabbed her arm just as roughly, pulling her forward.

"You will come with you." The first Cybermen, who felt none of the kicks that Donna was delivering to its shins addressed the Doctor. "Escape is futile."

"Knew you were going to say that." The Doctor grudgingly moved along with the young boy digging the rifle into his back as Donna and Martha were dragged behind him by the Cybermen.

It had taken a good time getting to the caves where the Cybermen had been based. As the young man had subsequently died after refusing to offer himself for the conversion process, the Doctor and Martha had been shoved into a makeshift cage with about fourteen other villagers. These villagers looked both starved and exhausted as they watched Donna being strapped onto an operating table.

"Let me go."

It was the last thing that Donna had managed to say before a leather strap had been placed over her mouth and her wrists and ankles had been bound tightly to the table, leaving her completely immobile.

"You will become one of us." The Cybermen looked at the woman with curiosity. Unlike the villagers, she was more of a fresh opportunity for a successful conversion.

"Let her go," the Doctor begged. "Take me instead."

"Don't worry, you'll be next." It was a chilling reply from the second Cybermen as Donna struggled for freedom. Both the Doctor and Martha were unable to hide their worry.

"Doctor, we have to stop this," Martha whispered under her breath as she looked around at the crude technology that the Cybermen were planning to use on Donna. "I thought they were more advanced that this."

"Usually they are." The Doctor also whispered. "But I guess being on this planet, falling into this time stream, they must have had to make some sacrifices. We need a distraction."

"Such as?"

One of the villagers had spoken up, an older man in his fifties, who looked at the both of them with wary suspicion. The Doctor turned to him as Martha could only keep her eyes focused on Donna's muffled screams.

"My son's dead because of these things, so are most of our people," the man said angrily.

"I'm sorry," the Doctor replied sincerely.

"They said we were dying but that was a lie. They poisoned the water to scare us into handing ourselves over to them. We were fools." The older man looked solemnly. "Your friend's going to become another failed conversion, so whatever you're planning or thinking of planning, do it now."

"Okay," the Doctor said as his attention turned towards the dim lighting in this cave, the one thing that was definitely out of place with this time stream as he whispered something in the older man's ear.

"You're mad."

"Maybe but trust me," the Doctor smiled at the man.

"Doctor, what are you doing?" Martha asked as the Doctor slowly produced his sonic screwdriver from his pockets, making the medical officer smile. "Oh you are kidding me."

"I never kid about such things," the Doctor exchanged a smile before turning to the Cybermen. "Before you think about hurting my friend, I've got two words for you."

"And what is that?" The first Cybermen had made the mistake of asking.

"Lights out." The Doctor gave a dark smile, before whipping out the sonic screwdriver, killing all the lighting in the cave, rendering everyone in the dark. "Now!"

The confusion gave the Doctor more time to unlock the makeshift prison and as the villagers began to charge towards the Cybermen, the Doctor and Martha dodged the metal creatures and began to free Donna.

"You took your time, spaceman." Donna sighed with relief as she was helped off the table but her relief turned to worry when she heard too many deathly screams. "We have to help them."

The Doctor nodded and aimed his sonic screwdriver, turning the lights back on. Upon view of their surroundings again, the Doctor, Martha and Donna had noticed that along with the impaled first Cybermen, six villagers had been killed, three badly injured whilst the remaining five (including the older man) were also trying to stop the second Cybermen from causing any more death.

As they were being tossed at all sides, the Doctor waved his screwdriver at the Cybermen's eyes, blinding it.

"Donna, Martha now." The Doctor shouted for the both of them as they got behind the Cybermen and began to push it forward but even blinded, the creature was able to swat both companions from it's sight.

"You will suffer for this." The blinded Cybermen tried to attack the Doctor, swinging its arms in every direction, narrowly missing the Time Lord.

"No, you will." The older man screamed as he came out of nowhere with an axe in his hands. Before the Cybermen could turn, the older man chopped his head off and then slammed the axe into its back, rendering it immobile.

The Doctor, Donna and Martha could only look on as the older man stared at his dead child, dead friends and neighbours as well as the dead tormentors that had invaded his village during this Christmas period.

Hours had passed and Martha had done the best she could with the injured and sickly villagers whilst the Doctor and Donna had helped the older man bury his son and neighbours and tidy up the town as best they could. Cramond would recover and with the water no longer poisoned, it would be safe for those villagers who had fled to return again for this Christmas. After saying goodbye and wishing them well, the Doctor, Martha and Donna were back into the TARDIS, leaving the village behind.

"Not quite the Christmas trip I was planning for the both of you," the Doctor said as he looked at both Martha and Donna admiringly. "I'm sorry."

"Not your fault. We stopped the Cybermen and saved a village," Martha replied. "Definitely couldn't say it wasn't uneventful."

"At least we made a difference." Donna interjected. "That's always good, isn't it?"

"Only because we got there by accident." The Doctor mused sombrely. "I had no idea that was going to happen. How is that?"

"Doctor?" Martha looked at him worried. Donna took her lead.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing." The Doctor brushed off both his companions concern. "Now why don't we go somewhere for a real Christmas treat?"

"And where would that be — UNIT HQ?" Donna made a half-hearted joke, placating the Doctor but mentally reminding herself to get the truth out of him at some point, with or without Martha's help. "Go on then, spaceman, surprise us."

"You know you want to." Martha added.

"Alright then, prepare to be surprised." The Doctor pulled a lever and as they hurtled through the time vortex and his concerns about Cramond simmered in the background for a bit, he then wondered what his old pal Charles Dickens was up to these days.

- The End -

Chapter 4

**Name:** Home  
**Characters:** Alastair Gryffen, K9, Original Characters.  
**Synopsis: **It's Christmas Eve and while the kids have gone for the night to a party, Alistair Gryffen recalls a time to K9 when he helped an alien get home for Christmas. Set before the events of _Regeneration_ but also after the events of _Eclipse Of The Korven_.

Christmas time had always been an odd one for Professor Alistair Gryffen. As his mind lamented on the losses of his wife and children, he realised that over the last few years, he had overcome a lot, notably his agoraphobia and the fact that his involvement with the Department also helped with making the world a mostly safer place.

Pouring himself a scotch, he looked at the Christmas tree that both him and Starkey had decorated weeks ago with some input from K9 and let out a sigh, whilst being oblivious to the knocking on his door.

"Alone at Christmas," Alistair said as he took a sip from his drink, stirring it before consumption.

"You are not alone, Master," K9 interrupted, his renewed self, entering the main area.

"You're perfectly right." Alistair nodded. "Sorry about that. Who needs company when I have you?"

"I am flattered but when I said you weren't alone, I meant that there was someone at the door."

"Oh right." Alistair heard a knock on the door. "Guess, I should get that then."

As Alistair headed for the door, the knocking had ceased. By the time he had opened it, no-one there but before Alistair decided to close the door, he noticed a gift basket lying on the ground with a simple note attached. Recognising the handwriting, Alistair smiled and picked up the item.

"What does it say, Master?" K9 curiously asked, eager to scan the gift basket but Alastair gave him a look that indicated that he didn't need to do as such.

"It said 'thank you', K9." Alastair left the gift basket down on his desk and fixed his glasses. "I'll explain."

As K9 looked at him quizzically, Alistair pulled up a chair as the robotic dog perched himself beside the gift, his eyes blinking with more curiosity, Alistair turned to look at his metal friend and talked.

_2049, Christmas Eve_

Alistair Gryffen hadn't expected a lot of things on Christmas Eve but being hit over the head and waking up with the mother of all headaches certainly felt into the category of something that he could've done without.

Testing himself, it came as no surprise that Alistair was bound and gagged as he heard scrambling from the next room. Alastair could've cursed himself for getting both knocked out and burgled during the festive period but he decided to concentrate his efforts on trying to get free to no avail.

The assailant in question was getting more and more frustrated. He had landed at the best place in London for his objective and was finding it increasingly frustrating that he wasn't able to find anything that matched what he needed to complete his mission.

"Damn it all to hell." The creature cursed aloud before coming back into the study and seeing the human male struggling from freedom. "I need help."

"Let me go." Alastair barely muffled through his gag. The creature obliged by coming over to him and removing the red cloth from the professor's mouth.

"Don't scream." The creature warned as Alistair looked at him warily.

"Wasn't going to," Alastair said as he struggled with the ropes binding his hands behind his back. "What do you want?"

"Are all people on your world this rude?" The creature asked huffily. As responses went, it was certainly one that Alastair hadn't expected.

"Rude?"Alastair got defensive. "You just broke into my house, knocked me out, tied me up and you're asking if I'm rude?"

"Well, then I'll untie you," the creature snorted briskly as he released the professor from his bonds. "I need your help."

"What?" Alistair looked at him, startled. "Most aliens just tell me that they want to rule or destroy the world but you're asking me to help you with one or the other?"

"I don't want to destroy the world." It was the creature's turn to look startled. "I just want to get home. My ship crashed outside your house and something tells me your planet's roadside assistance isn't that far advanced, so before I crashed I locked onto the first location that had alien tech. Seemingly your place."

"Why didn't you just ask that in the first place?" Alistair looked at the creature warily before offering his hand to shake. "I'm Professor Alastair Gryffen by the way."

"Yes, I know that. I'm Kol." The creature smiled before handing Alastair back his wallet. "Yours I believe. Don't worry I haven't taken anything."

"Thanks." Alastair checked to see that all his cash, credit cards, identification cards and family snaps were still intact. "Now show me this ship of yours."

Kol pointed the way and as the two of them made it outside, Alastair saw nothing at first before Kol produced a button that made the ship visible. Stepping inside the ship made for a cramped experience as it became all too clear to him that this was a vessel clearly intended for one person and while Kol was slightly bigger than him, Alistair had to admit that it wasn't the roomiest of ships to be in. He then noticed a bag and even though he knew he shouldn't, Alistair had to take a peek inside and was stunned by what he had seen.

"So, what do you think?" Kol asked as he noticed the look on Alastair's face. The human face's was difficult to read. "Is it bad?"

"You celebrate Christmas?" Alastair asked, letting his discovery take precedence over the alien's enquiry.

"Yes." Kol answered dubiously. "Is that a problem?"

"No, just a surprise." Alistair admitted. "Not a usual M.O. for alien life forms. Well, the ones that I've encountered anyways."

"Believe it or not, most of us have little interest in destroying other worlds and celebrating Christmas isn't just an Earth custom I'll have you know." Kol said, slightly defensively. "Now, can you help me or not?"

"Yes," Alastair said. "But only if you come inside for a bit. Before your attack, I was going to have some mince-pies. It'd be a shame to have them all by myself."

"I suppose I could spare a few minutes." Kol conceded as he thought about the mince pies. "And they do smell good. Okay, a few minutes, some food and banter and then you fix my ship. Deal?"

"Deal." Alastair agreed as the pair of them headed back inside.

A few minutes had turned into an hour and the hour itself had seen both Alastair and Kol getting through the batch of mince-pies and some of the professor's scotch. Kol had even managed to add a little more of a Christmassy feel to Alastair's slightly bare tree and after learning about the alien's family back on Naros after he had opened up about his own loss, he obligingly went out to fix the damaged engine on Kol's ship.

"You'll be rewarded." Kol smiled as he got back into the ship. "And compensated for the head trauma. Might take a while but expect something from Naros very soon."

"I'll make sure the Department don't get it." Alastair smiled as the door closed and Kol's ship beamed out of his garden.

Smiling, Alastair went back into his house and realised that his radio was playing "Driving Home For Christmas". Thinking about Kol's departure less than a minute ago, it was all too perfect a song choice.

"K9?" Alastair looked around to see that the beloved dog had drifted off as the professor's story had come to an end.

Metal dogs didn't really sleep but for K9, this was probably the closest to it that he was going to achieve. Alastair patted the creature on his head and moved him to a more comfortable part of the main area, not too far away from the Christmas tree. He then sipped the remainder of his scotch and eyed the gift basket. It was an alien music box, filled with every song that Alastair had admitted to enjoying in his youth. The diamond encrusted box was a thing of beauty and made the professor smile.

"Merry Christmas." Alastair smiled at the box, then at K9 and then at the picture of his family before heading into the kitchen for some mince-pies. "It's good to be home."

- The End -

Chapter 5

**Name:** I Wonder  
**Characters:** 7th Doctor, Melanie Bush, Ace McShane, Sabalom Glitz.  
**Synopsis: **A trip to Ice World sees both the Doctor and Ace catching up with an old friend. Set a year after the events of _Dragonfire_ but before events of _Remembrance Of The Daleks_.

As the TARDIS spun in the time vortex, Ace McShane had come to the realisation that this strange machine could be the closest thing to a home that she might have for the next while. A thought that she was intrigued by, but she also wondered if the Doctor intended her to be as long term in the TARDIS as she would like to see herself.

"Something the matter, professor?" Ace asked the Doctor as he stared at the console, holding a skipping rope in his hand, looking as if he was deep in wondering.

It was the most ordinary of things but Ace was perceptive enough to know that it was something that meant more to him than he was letting on as he barely noticed that she was standing literally next to him.

"What was that?" The Doctor turned to see that his latest travelling companion was looking at him oddly and then he noticed that she was staring at the skipping rope. "It's Melanie's. She must have forgotten it."

"I guessed that," Ace said simply. "We could always go back and give it to her if you want to. Could be interesting to see if her and Glitz haven't killed each other too."

"It's just a skipping rope, Ace. I think there's plenty of them on Ice World to be had."

"Fair point." Ace admitted. "But she might want it back, if not to exercise, then to keep Glitz restrained from nicking stuff. Skipping ropes do come in handy for that."

"Do they?" The Doctor looked at Ace with amusement. "Well, then, perhaps you're right. Maybe we should return this. For keeping Glitz out of mischief if nothing else."

Ace smiled as the Doctor headed to the console and began to set the co-ordinates back for Ice World. Under any other circumstances, Ace wouldn't have been so eager to have stepped foot back on that world but she could tell that the Doctor at least wanted one last conversation with Melanie before moving on.

When the Doctor and Ace stepped out of the TARDIS, the sound of carolling came as a most peculiar surprise until they both realised that they were in the street and a group of mixed people from all different ages and backgrounds were united in singing. There was no doubt it was Christmas.

"I think my timing might have been off." The Doctor bustled through the crowd with Ace doing her best to keep up with the Time Lord.

"You don't say." Ace had to shout loudly as the sound of carolling grew louder as they ventured deeper into the crowd. Her tone was of amusement rather than sarcasm.

They had been wading through the carollers for the best part of five minutes until they heard a particular off-key singing. Ace recognised that voice and nudged the Doctor in the direction of the cacophony.

Sabalom Glitz was a man with plentiful talents of the wrong social standing but one thing that was for certain was that his singing was simply awful. As he attempted to hit the high notes to "Silent Night", Ace obliged him by shoving an apple she had been keeping in her pocket in his mouth. Glitz glared at her disappointingly.

"Not fair." Glitz managed to muffle before the Doctor advised Ace to remove the apple from the thief's mouth. Grudgingly, Ace obliged but not before she gave her own warning as she removed it.

"Don't sing. My ears aren't strong to bear your voice."

"I think I have a beautiful voice." Glitz sounded defensive, before eyeing the Doctor. "Thought I had seen the last of you, Doc."

"You thought wrong." The Doctor smiled at him as he looked around the crowd. "Not really your scene is it, Sabalom?"

"What can I say?" Glitz smirked. "Your friend Melanie's a stabilising influence. All too stabilising. And it was either this or tobogganing at midnight."

"Sounds like Melanie alright." The Doctor smiled. "Where is she?"

"I'm right here." Melanie had made her way through the crowd and interjected herself between the Doctor and Glitz while giving Ace a friendly smile. "I didn't think I'd see you so soon."

"You left this behind." The Doctor handed Melanie the skipping rope.

"You didn't have to travel all this way." Melanie teased the Doctor. "Though I guess this now means that Glitz can now keep the other skipping rope during our morning workouts."

"Oh great, more exercise." Glitz groaned as he saw the rope, making Ace smirk again.

"I don't think a few skips is going to kill you." Ace poked at Glitz's flab before he swatted her hand away in annoyance.

"You're all heart," replied Glitz sarcastically to Ace before he saw that the Doctor and Melanie were in deep conversation. "What are they talking about?"

"Unresolved issues." Ace mused. "I think the professor was wondering how the both of you were getting on here I suppose."

"I can think of a few ways of resolving some issues." Glitz had a crafty glint in his eye, which did not impress Ace at all.

"Let's not, eh?" The Doctor stepped in before Ace came up with a less friendly way of responding to Glitz's suggestion.

As the carolling had began to cease and the carollers themselves were disbanding, the Doctor, Ace, Melanie and Glitz were literally standing in the street alone, wondering what to do next before one of them had a suggestion.

"Let's go back to mine for some good food." Melanie smiled happily as she took the Doctor's arm. "They do some lovely low-carb turkeys here that cook in no time whatsoever. And you and Ace can tell me what's been going on since I last saw you both."

"This should be interesting." Ace smiled as she walked ahead of Melanie, the Doctor and Glitz on this cold Christmas Day. She always figured that she would see Ice World one more time but she didn't reckon that it was going to be this soon. At least she was in the presence of some good company and Ace wondered herself how much Melanie and Glitz were really getting on.

- The End -

Chapter 6

**Name:** Nice To See You Again  
**Characters:** 8th Doctor, Grace Holloway.  
**Synopsis: **The Doctor pays Grace a visit on Christmas Eve. Set nearly a year after the events of _The Movie_.

December 24th 2000.

Countdowns weren't something that Dr Grace Holloway had taken much notice of but for nearly the best part of a year, she'd find herself looking at her watch all the more, the calendar in her office and any corner where a ticking clock may be than she would've done beforehand in her life.

She had heard people joking about her newfound hobby all the time now and when she wasn't overhearing with sly comments about timekeeping, Grace had spent most of her first year in the twenty first century keeping her head down and tending to her patients. It wasn't that she was intending to put her life on hold, it was more to do with the fact that she was waiting for something or someone to return one last time.

Spending nearly all day on Christmas Eve in the ER had taken it out of Grace more than she thought it would have. After dealing with telling a grieving family that their daughter didn't make it through surgery as well as abuse from two drunken men who had to be police escorted into the hospital after one of them broke the other's jaw with a deft left hook, the only thing Grace Holloway now wanted to do for Christmas was to head home, drink a bottle of red along with some bad take-out food whilst watching a late night Christmas movie from her childhood and sleep. Christmas Day was fortunately her day off and not even the fires of hell were going to drag her out of the slumber she was planning for the majority of the day.

"You off for the night?" Kalinda the receptionist called as Grace was making her break from the hospital.

"Yeah." Grace turned to see the young woman wearing a Santa Claus hat as she was sorting through a file. "Even us doctors have to clock off at some point."

"Well, Merry Christmas, Dr Holloway." Kalinda smiled, gesturing towards the bowl of festively themed lollipops on display. Grace had resisted them for the day but now she found herself craving a little sugar and decided to give into temptation.

"You too, Kalinda." Grace smiled at the young woman who went from looking at a file to grabbing the phone with deftness. Grace had taken two lollipops from the bowl — one green, one red before taking her leave.

The drive to her home had surprisingly been a lot easier than she had anticipated with traffic only beginning to pile up as she was within two miles of her home. Grace pulled up in her driveway and had to stop herself from driving straight into her house upon spotting a familiar blue box in the garden.

"You're back." Grace's words stumbled as a man appeared from the box with a bottle of champagne and two glasses. She got out of her car and headed towards him.

"Nice to see you again, Grace."

The Doctor stood there in front her, nearly the same man he was when she had last seen him on New Year's Day. His hair was still longish and flowing but the Edwardian jacket was replaced with a slightly blacker one — almost a smoking jacket but not quite. Overall, Grace was impressed by what or whom she was looking at.

"Your jacket's different." Grace embraced the Doctor in a hug as he left the champagne and two glasses on a window sill. "How long has it been?"

"Nearly a year." The Doctor began to pour Grace a glass of champagne, which she accepted. "Same as you."

"I thought with the TARDIS, less than five minutes for you." Grace took a sip and looked into his eyes. "Jacket aside, you're the same as last time."

"I've avoided getting shot or having major surgery." The Doctor sipped some of his champagne. "It usually helps. How've you been?"

"Same old, same old," Grace said as she finished the contents of her glass. "Still working at the hospital, still trying to find the right person. Wait?"

"What?" The Doctor was caught off-guard by her change in tone.

"The world's not ending is it?" Grace looked at him suspiciously. "Because nice as it is to see you, I've had the Christmas Eve from hell at work and I'm not sure if I've got in it in me to save you and the universe for a second time."

The Doctor smiled as he realised that underneath most of Grace's suspicions were also a hint of humour. He finished the contents of his glass before putting it down and then put his hands on her shoulders.

"The world isn't ending."

"That's good." Grace looked into his eyes. There was a part of her that wanted to kiss him again but she held back. "So if the world isn't ending, then you came to visit me?"

"Yes." The Doctor smiled but stumbled. "Not quite. I came to thank you. Properly."

"A phone call or a gift basket usually helps." Grace released herself from the Doctor's grip. "But seeing you again is nice too."

"Yes, they are." The Doctor countered. "But I was wondering if you'd do me the honour of being my plus one."

"Plus one?" Grace looked at him quizzically. "Plus one to where?"

"There's a Christmas party right now as we speak on the constellation of Margon Drafri." The Doctor extended his hand to Grace as he led her towards the TARDIS. "If you'd like to come with me."

"In the TARDIS? You want me to go in the TARDIS and travel in space?" Grace asked incredulously.

"What do you say?"

"Give me thirty minutes and you're on." Grace smiled as she planted a kiss on the Doctor. When she finally released him, she sauntered inside the house with a spring in her step.

"Oh and Grace?" The Doctor called out to her.

"Yeah?"

"Merry Christmas."

"You too, Doctor." Grace called out as the Doctor stepped back in the TARDIS, deciding to wait for her there.

After the day she had to endure, the Doctor's arrival couldn't have come at a better time and while Grace knew that this Christmas party would end and he would leave her back in San Francisco as he travelled through time and space by himself, she also knew that there was no-one else she wanted to spend Christmas with at this very moment in time. Thirty minutes later and after slipping herself into a ravishing red dress, both Grace and the Doctor headed for their Christmas fun. Remembering the lollipops, Grace handed one to the Doctor as she took the other and within minutes, they had arrived on Margon Drafri.

- The End -

Chapter 7

**Name:** Walking In The Snow  
**Characters:** 4th Doctor, Leela, Romana 2.  
**Synopsis: **During a winter walk on Gallifrey, the Doctor tries to explain the appeal to Christmas to both Leela and Romana as the question of a certain person makes for an interesting encounter. Set after the events of _The Invasion Of Time_ and _Warrior's Gate_.

The TARDIS had landed perfectly on spot and for once, the Doctor was actually glad to touching the ground of his home planet. Adric hadn't been tempted to come with him for this particular excursion, opting to remain on the Holodem space station in order to help Professor Janeson out with mathematical theorems instead but from the look the Doctor got off the boy, it was clear that Adric was hoping for him to return, which the Doctor intended to do nonetheless.

An hour had passed and by the time that Andred's help had been desperately needed in order to convince the bullish guards that the Doctor wasn't an unwelcomed menace, catching up with both Romana and Leela had been a mostly enjoyable time. It also had been more enjoyable when the three of them were able to get past Romana's guards and head for the outside, walking in the snow on a peaceful Gallifreyan afternoon.

Gallifrey, like nearly every other habitable planet known to man, alien and Time Lord also managed to snow from time to time and when the conversation hadn't turned in an evaluation of how the Doctor was getting along with Adric, another topic then took precedence for the three friends.

"Christmas?" Leela broached the subject with interest. "During some of the times on Earth, I've always been curious to know what's so special about it."

"It's an old holiday, Leela," the Doctor answered as best he could. "Its history seems to be quite contradictory in some parts but overall, it's a time for families, friends and presents if you want the uncomplicated version of it."

"Presents?" Leela queried. She knew the meaning behind them but the way the Doctor emphasised the word intrigued her more. It brought memories of a man of some description — a legendary gift bearer of some sort.

"Ah, yes, the fabled Santa Claus." Romana smiled. "A mysterious man who manages to deliver presents to all children in the space on one night."

"But that can't be possible, can it?" Leela asked with curiosity. "Such a man would have to be god in order to achieve such a feat."

"You've been inside the TARDIS, Leela." The Doctor countered his former companion. "It's an impossibility in of itself but it's still true. Just because it sounds unlikely doesn't mean it is unlikely. Have I taught you nothing?"

"So, there is such a thing as Santa Claus?" Romana cocked her eyebrow and looked at the Doctor curiously. "What else have you been keeping from me?"

"Very droll, Romana." The Doctor tutted at her disapprovingly. "You know very well that even I don't have the definitive answer on that particular mystery."

"Why not?" Leela asked, as she pulled up a fur coat, trying her best to cover herself from the biting cold on Gallifrey. The Doctor and Romana themselves had prepared better for their winter walk.

"Because he's never seen him." Romana smirked teasingly. It was times like this when the Doctor got a little flustered by the current president's know-it-all attitude.

"Correction — because I've never caught him. Not seen." The Doctor interjected but as soon as he saw the looks on both of his former companions' faces, there was a part of him that wished he hadn't opened his mouth.

"Hang on; you've tried to catch Santa Claus?" Romana was intrigued by this piece of news. "Is that what you used to do before I showed up?"

"Yes, Romana." The Doctor muttered sarcastically. "The whole bit about me saving the universe countless times from Daleks, Cybermen, Axons, the Master, Silurians, Autons and Sontarans to name but a few of the monsters I've faced was all an elaborate smokescreen for my life's mission to snare Santa Claus. You finally caught me out."

Romana and Leela looked at him stunned for a second before they both burst out laughing as the Doctor frowned at them disapprovingly. Clearly, he was going to have brush up on his sarcasm around his friends.

"And I'm supposed to be the immature one."

"Just when I think you can't get any more surprising." Romana smiled as she tapped his shoulder. "You come out with something like this. There is no Santa Claus, Saint Nick or whatever he's really known as, is there?"

"Um, Doctor, Romana?" Leela's eyes were pointing towards the sky and before the Doctor could answer Romana's question, both him and the president looked towards what Leela was staring up at.

"Are those creatures really flying?" Leela asked as she saw seven reindeer in the sky carrying a sleigh with an overweight, old man draped in red and white with a full sack behind him as well.

"Is that who I think it is?" Romana looked at the sky in disbelief. "How is that possible?"

"I think your question's been answered," the Doctor said as both his eyes widen and his smile too. "Though we can always get a closer inspection with the TARDIS."

"Should we?" Leela asked, still processing what her eyes were showing her.

"Why not?" Romana smiled at the former savage and then at the Doctor. "Gallifrey can manage without us for a few minutes."

"That's the Christmas spirit." The Doctor smiled as he led both his former companions into the TARDIS in pursuit of the man who delivered toys to all good girls and boys on one special night.

However in spite of the fact that even the TARDIS managed to get a close up look at Santa Claus, the Doctor decided that maybe he didn't want to know how one man could deliver all presents in the space of one night. There were some mysteries in the universe that were best not solved just yet. Instead, he changed the co-ordinates and brought the TARDIS back to Romana's headquarters as Leela found a set of Janus thorns that she had left behind in the TARDIS. On Gallifrey, he decided to explain in better detail why Christmas was such a big thing on Earth before remembering that Adric would be waiting for him. Now, there was another person to explain the appeal of Christmas as soon as he'd get the chance to.

- The End -

Chapter 8

**Name:** Frame  
**Characters:** Jack Harkness, Alonso Frame, Blowfish.  
**Synopsis: **Jack meets a handsome man in a bar and wants something uncomplicated. Only problem is, it's Christmas, there's a jewellery heist and when both him and Alonso are caught in the middle, they'll have to work together in order to save Christmas. Set between _Children Of Earth_ and _Miracle Day_. Also from where _The End Of Time_ left off.

"You know what I'm thinking now?" The young, unemployed Midshipman had asked the handsome older stranger sitting beside him at the bar.

"Oh yeah." The stranger smiled suggestively, leaving a tip for the enthusiastic barman who had been casually watching them.

As Jack Harkness and Alonso Frame decided to leave the bar on Planet Zog, once they had actually stepped outside, they couldn't help but size each other up properly.

Jack looked at Alonso — he wasn't human, but there was no way an actual human would've noticed and the young man's beguiling smile seemed to be masking a sort of sadness as well. In some ways, Alonso was a little like him — well, lost at least. Jack doubted for a second if Alonso had been forced to make some truly horrifying world saving choices of late.

Alonso had also been staring at Jack too, taking the handsome Time Agent in. Alonso recognised a Time Agent from the confident way they moved like they owned any place. He had also bumped shoulders with them on a previous excursion prior to the debacle with the Titanic but the handsome stranger also had a look in his eyes that seared with it's own pain and darkness. He was tempted to ask, but Alonso held his tongue.

"So, do you do this often?" Alonso asked, hands in his pockets, staring at Jack intently but keeping a slight distance between them.

"Do what, exactly?" Jack shot a sly grin, noticing the young man's reluctance. Reluctance at being too eager rather than reluctance at getting closer.

"Pick up lonely men in bars." Alonso put it in a slightly blunt manner but there was a playful grin as well, as Jack edged closer towards him.

"Occasionally." Jack smiled. His hands were now around Alonso's waist, pulling the young man closer, something which Alonso made no effort to resist. "Right person comes along."

"And how often does that line actually work on anyone?" Alonso sort of laughed but he slunk his shoulders around Jack's neck. "I would've reckoned someone like you would be more original than that."

"Someone like me?" Jack cocked an eyebrow in amused curiosity.

"Time Agent. You are one, aren't you?"

"Sort of, not anymore." Jack was really intrigued now. "How'd you guess?"

"I'm sort of psychic too." Alonso smiled teasingly. "Know what I'm thinking now?"

"Alonso, I don't need to be psychic to know that." Jack smiled seductively and then conversation between both men ceased.

Time counted for precious little as Jack and Alonso had started kissing each other, under the purple moon shining in the night on Zog. At one point, both men did realise that they would need to come up for air but that moment wasn't until a cracking round of a shotgun had gone off and not even the passion between both Time Agent and Midshipman was enough to ignore.

"What was that?" Alonso had broken off the embrace and looked around until he saw a man stagger to his death.

By the time both Alonso and Jack had tried to revive the man, he was dead and Jack turned to look towards his right and then slipped his hand to retrieve his gun, which took Alonso by surprise.

"Jack?" Alonso sounded worried. That darkness he suspected of the Time Agent was looking like it was about to rear it's head.

"Go home, Alonso." Jack didn't look at the young man. "This could be dangerous."

"I can take care of myself." Alonso snapped defensively. "I'm not a child."

"Are you armed?"

"Um, no," Alonso stammered as Jack headed towards a back alley. "Hey, where are you going?"

"Go home."

Alonso didn't think, he just followed. Usually he was the one to stop and breathe and think of a plan or a solution but the adrenaline took over him this once and he found himself chasing after Jack, not knowing what could literally be around the corner for him.

Jack had turned another corner after heading down the alleyway, pure instinct kicking in. He hoped that Alonso had actually done the sensible thing and headed home but he had the dreaded feeling that the young man was just going to try and be heroic and wind up dead. Jack could've cursed himself — he should've explained things better to the lad but if they both lived through this, Jack would sit down and talk to him about the dangerous life of Jack Harkness. A life where the team members he loved had wound up dead in one way or another. Suzie, Owen, Toshiko, Ianto — Gwen nearly at several points. Jack was determined not to have another death on his conscience and then he found what he was looking for.

"Not exactly the most festive of spirits, now is it?" Jack slinked out from a corner and saw a rather familiar looking blowfish with a sack. "Put it back, Kern."

"Ah, the irrepressible, Jack Harkness." Kern turned to smile at the Time Agent. "I had hoped the rumours of you habiting on Zog were just idle gossip. What a pity they've turned out to be true."

"Oh well, maybe you'll get lucky on some other planet, eh?" Jack pointed his gun towards the blowfish. "As I was saying, put it back."

"Oh you'll do what, shoot me?" Kern smirked. "I wouldn't if I were you."

"Why's that?"

"Because if you kill me." Kern tilted his head for Jack to get the hint. "Then Mervin here will have to kill something of yours."

Jack tilted his head back and saw that Mervin was standing there with Alonso Frame. The Midshipman's hands were bound by silver masking tape and a large strip of it was over the young man's mouth preventing him from screaming. Mervin smiled as he threw the masking tape in the air that Kern then deftly caught. Grudgingly, Jack dropped his weapon.

"You won't get away with this." Jack said angrily as Kern bound his hands behind his back. "I will come after you."

"You really do talk too much, Captain." Kern smiled as he pressed a large strip of tape over Jack's mouth, gagging him. "I wish we could take you two handsome fellows with us but four's a crowd and Christmas is only meant to be shared with those you actually like. No hard feelings, Captain. After all, you win some and you lose some."

As Jack and Alonso were both left outside the building to struggle in their bonds, Jack managed to loosen himself first. After he undid the tape from his mouth, he helped Alonso to his feet as the young man looked at him anxiously.

"Next time when I say 'go home', assume I'm talking sense, okay?" Jack scolded the young man before cutting his bonds free. Alonso rubbed his sore wrists.

"Alright then." Alonso managed to muffle before Jack removed the tape off his mouth. Alonso whimpered a little. "I was only trying to help."

"I know." Jack reasoned. "And that's good but it can also get you killed. I don't know what you know or think you know about me but there are risks, Alonso and I've ... I've lost people. A lot of them. I don't want to add anymore to that list."

"I can take care of myself." Alonso put his hand on Jack's shoulder, trying to lighten the mood. "Except when I'm being tied up by a blowfish but that doesn't happen often, right?"

"You never know."

"So, what we do now?" Alonso looked around. "They couldn't have gotten too far."

"What was I telling you about 'danger'?" Jack was on the verge of scolding the Midshipman again.

"I don't know, remind me." Alonso smiled suggestively, briefly kissing Jack before pulling away. "I'm helping you find these blowfish and getting what they stole back. No arguments."

"Fine, then." Jack surrendered. "Do exactly as I say and no heroics."

"I promise." Alonso made a submissive gesture with his hands. "I'm yours to command. Let's go, Captain."

For once, Jack said nothing and instead reverted to looking at his vortex manipulator into finding the whereabouts of the two blowfish and the thousand sapphires they happened to help themselves to. He was tempted for a nanosecond to leave Alonso behind but even Jack realised that he wasn't going to get rid off the young Midshipman that easily and so after grabbing Alonso's arm, he made himself a mental promise that once the sapphires were in their rightful place and Mervin and Kern were in a nice padded cell on Volag Nok, Jack would find some amusing ways of spending this Christmas getting to know Alonso Frame. After all, the young man's eagerness for adventure was hard to resist.

- The End -

Chapter 9

**Name:** Departure  
**Characters:** 3rd Doctor, Liz Shaw.  
**Synopsis: **On the night of her death, Liz Shaw meets the Doctor one last time. Set forty years after the events of _Inferno_.

She was at the brink of the final moment in her life. Liz Shaw always knew that when the day would come, she would know it, she'd feel it and spending months on a moon base had been a means of avoiding it for so long but sadly she knew it was going to happen tonight.

"I'm going to die."

Liz Shaw looked out her window, entranced by the snow flowing heavily outside her garden. It was a sight to behold and one that she wasn't viewing by herself. He was standing behind her, not saying a word for once but certainly wanting to ever since he had heard the news.

"Is that why you came to see me after all this time?" Liz decided to acknowledge her guest.

"Yes." The man standing behind her had parked his spaceship in her living room. She had accepted one last trip to the stars but now they were back home and there was no way of avoiding the conversation that neither one of them wanted to have with each other. Well, that Liz herself didn't really want to have.

"I'm glad to see you." Liz smiled but she did not turn around. She knew she would at some point, but just not yet. "I never thought I would after that Christmas party."

"That was forty years." The Doctor said firmly as he came closer to his former companion, placing his hand on her shoulder.

_Both the Doctor and Liz's minds simultaneously flashed towards that Christmas party. They had worked together and had prevented another alien disaster on Christmas Eve and when Liz wasn't doing her best to avoid her tooth enamel being cracked by Osiran curry, the Doctor had finally given her a reason to believe that he viewed her as someone more than just holding test tubes as the bullets flew. It was also a few days after this party that Liz had accepted a position at Cambridge and left immediately, not really getting the chance to properly say goodbye to either the Doctor, Brigadier or Sergeant Benton. That was something she had regretted_.

"You haven't changed a bit." Liz glanced at him sideways before resuming her staring at the snow. "I almost thought if I ever did see you again, that I would be looking at a different man."

"I expected to see the same young woman who stepped into my laboratory if I had ever were going to see you again." The Doctor tried to lighten the mood. "Maybe this was a mistake."

"Wasn't your laboratory at first back then." Liz finally turned around to look at the Doctor. "And this isn't a mistake. Just a shock, that's all."

"Has it really been forty years?"

"You tell me." Liz went into the kitchen for a few minutes. When she had stepped out, she had two mugs of tea and handed one to the Doctor, which he accepted gracefully as they both sat down and stared at each other.

"You lived a life." The Doctor looked over towards a fireplace with family pictures strewn across it and then a Christmas tree with unopened presents stacked nicely under it.

"Marriage, children, grand-children, scientific achievements, I have been lucky." Liz lamented as she looked at the Doctor sipping his tea. "But there was a time or two when I sort of wished that you had seen some of it, Doctor."

"I know."

"So, why didn't you contact me earlier?" Liz asked with a little toughness in her voice. "Why wait until my last day to see me?"

"Timing." The Doctor let out a sigh. "I'm a Time Lord and I am rubbish at it — timing, that is. I tried to get the TARDIS to take me to an earlier time to see you again but for some reason, it took me to this specific time."

"Why?"

"Because she's a contrary old thing, much like her owner." The Doctor chuckled a small bit, then he halted. "Because maybe this was exactly the time I was meant to see you again, terrible as that sounds."

Liz stared at him for a second and then let out an involuntary laugh of her own. She couldn't help it. Forty years onwards and the man that she had fought Autons and Silurians with and he was exactly the same man all over again. Maybe some people don't change after all, even if they can change their faces.

"What's so funny?" The Doctor was caught off guard by the older woman's laughter.

"Just you." It was all Liz could say as she slowly managed to get back her composure.

"Just me then." The Doctor sighed a little. "What to do, Miss Shaw?"

"I missed you, Doctor." Liz admitted. "I mean, I lived a full and happy life but overall, I did miss having you in my life. Still, better late than never."

"Better late than never." The Doctor smiled.

A few hours later, Liz Shaw had passed away in her sleep. The Doctor had gone to show her something he had picked up on his travels and when he had returned, she had slipped away into the night. The Doctor kissed her on the forehead and called for the ambulance and UNIT HQ as well.

A week had passed and the funeral of Elizabeth Shaw had taken place. From afar, the Doctor watched as the woman's grandchildren, academia friends, the Brigadier, Benton and Yates had all gone to pay their respects to the woman as they buried her into the ground. Upon their departure, the Doctor then went to the rest place of his former companion and left a single white rose.

"Goodbye, Liz."

The Doctor sighed and then made his own departure. He was sad that one of his friends was dead but he was also grateful that he had managed to see her one last time. It made the Doctor realise that he needed to try and make more of an effort to stay in contact with the people who travelled with him in time and space after they leave him.

- The End -

Chapter 10

**Name:** Bad Santa  
**Characters:** 1st Doctor, Steven Taylor.  
**Synopsis: **Winning a bet against the Doctor would've been fun for Steven Taylor if it didn't mean having to see him dressed as Santa Claus. Set after the events of _The Daleks Master Plan_.

There were times for having a laugh and a time for being victorious and this was a time when Steven Taylor was wondering how both managed to elude him. He had won fair and square, so why did it feel like the joke was on him all of a sudden?

"This wasn't part of the deal." Steven grumbled as he managed to fit himself into an outfit that was a size too small for him. "I look like an idiot."

"Nonsense my boy," the Doctor harrumphed dismissively as he had made the finishing touches to his own outfit. "All you have to do is assist while I do the heavy lifting as usual."

"Assist?" Steven raised an eyebrow, before acknowledging what else had been said. "What do you mean, 'heavy lifting'? I do my share."

"Semantics." The Doctor waved a hand in dismissal as he popped his head over a curtain and then realised that their audience were arriving in their droves. "I think it's show time."

"Wonderful." Steve scowled as he managed to put a ridiculous looking hat that barely fitted above his head. He looked at the smiling Doctor in his full attire. "You owe me for this."

"Oh, no, I've paid off that debt." The Doctor smiled wickedly as the two of them headed outside to greet their audience.

Steven and the Doctor were both nearly taken aback by the amount of children that were actually outside waiting for them but when the act of charity is donning up as Santa Claus and his elf, Steven realised with a great sadness that this was going to be one mission that wasn't going to end in a hurry. For a moment, he almost wished he was doing battle with Daleks once again.

"Now, who's first?" The Doctor jumped out from behind the curtain a little too quickly upon his announcement and startled some of the kids as well as the beleaguered looking store manager in the process.

The kids that weren't startled began to roar for the man they believed to be Santa Claus's attention and the Doctor then selected a small little girl named Annabelle first in order to talk to.

"And what would you like for Christmas my dear?" The Doctor tried his best to be as pleasant as possible, remembering that Steven had told him to dial the crotchetiness down for the children.

Annabelle hummed for a few seconds before trailing off a list of expensive toys, most of which the Doctor had no idea of what she was on about but keeping Steven's advice in mind, he smiled and assured her that if she was well behaved that Santa would surprise her on Christmas night. After being given an obligatory store present from Steven, Annabelle disappeared back into the crowd with her parents and left.

For the next half an hour, both the Doctor and Steven tried to get through the wave of children all asking of similar things and then all being palmed off with a store gift that suspiciously felt light weight.

Then Steven realised that the actual staff in this place were being paid a pittance anyway and deduced that the store manager wouldn't be that generous in giving decent gifts to visiting children. It actually made him feel a little better about getting roped into playing elf and he was also amused how the Doctor was dealing with the more surlier and cynical of children that came his way too.

"My mum said there's no such thing as Santa Claus." A sour faced boy of eight looked at the Doctor with surprising contempt.

"Did she now?" The Doctor eyed the boy with caution. It was as if a human shaped time bomb had been placed within proximity and the wrong word could set it off. "Well, I'm afraid your mother is mistaken for I am Santa Claus and I am here, am I not?"

"She also said that you're probably some drunk in a suit." The boy did not warm to the Doctor's attempts of reassurance. "Or one of them funny ones."

"Funny ones?" The Doctor raised an eyebrow and glanced at Steven. Steven offered the child a present.

The boy accepted the present, opened it up and looked at Steven with pure hatred. Steven managed to duck before the present, revealed as a toaster had whacked the store manager right on the nose.

"You're a bad Santa." The child cursed with anger at the Doctor before kicking him in the shins.

"Why, you little," the Doctor rubbed his sore shin before getting the boy and placing him on a hanger across from where Santa's chair had been.

The boy kicked and howled furiously at the Doctor and Steven as they attended to the store manager who angrily told everyone else to leave. When he rose to his feet, another smack from behind sent him hurtling down again. It was the boy's mother and she was far from impressed as she managed to free her child from the height he was put on.

"Which one of you is responsible for this?" The mother looked at both the Doctor and Steven with a murderous glint in her eye.

"Your son got out of hand ..." Steven tried to explain but it was only making the woman more aggressive than before.

"He did it." The young boy shouted and pointed at the Doctor. "That crusty old man did. I was only gonna ask him for a bike."

"After you kicked me and assaulted Mr Chambers over there." The Doctor pointed at the store manager who was getting up to his feet.

The woman on the other hand was gripping to her handbag tighter than before and was ready to deliver a deadly strike.

"Doctor, I think we should be leaving now." Steven grabbed the older man's hand and began to run with the young boy and his mother giving chase.

As the Doctor and Steven locked themselves into the TARDIS and took off, Steven immediately threw his elf hat on the floor in frustration.

"That's the last time I get you to do a bit of charity." Steven harrumphed. "Something as simple as Santa's Grotto shouldn't be that hard. That woman could've killed the both of us there."

"Mmm, I don't know." The Doctor concentrated on setting the co-ordinates. "I quite enjoyed that. If that young man hadn't disrupted things, it would've run smoother I think. Still, can't have everything."

"Does nothing ever faze you?" Steven asked.

"When you've seen as much as I have, something usually does eventually," the Doctor answered in a non committal way. "But even the odd child and it's parent can be a little monster."

"In the same way you can be a bad Santa?" Steven smirked, ducking as the Doctor threw his Santa hat in the man's general direction.

"Bah humbug." The Doctor laughed as he looked at his outfit. "Perhaps I should change. This outfit is kind of ridiculous, Santa Claus or not."

Steven let out a laugh as the Doctor muttered something and went to change himself. Realising that he still had Mr Chambers sack of useless junk, Steven decided to put them under the tree in the zero room of the TARDIS for the time being. After all, there was nothing wrong in making the ship a little Christmassy.

- The End -

Chapter 11

**Name:** To The Happy Couple  
**Characters:** 11th Doctor, Amy Pond, Rory Williams, Ian Chesterton, Barbara Wright, Jeff Angelo, Sharon Pond, Original Characters.  
**Synopsis: **As Amy and Rory celebrate their engagement party on Christmas Eve, the Doctor finds himself reunited with another couple. Set within the events of _The Eleventh Hour_.

Hopping to the moon and back had been something of a joy for the Doctor. The TARDIS was looking positively resplendent and after spending most of the time having to make do with defeating both Prisoner Zero and the Atraxi to a lesser extent, the Doctor went to take a look at himself in the mirror.

"Mmm, raggedy no more." The Doctor smiled at himself approvingly and straightened the bowtie. "This will more than do."

Looking around the control room was a gleeful experience for the Doctor. Like himself, the TARDIS had been due a makeover and also like himself, he definitely approved of the new look TARDIS but there was also something that was preying on his mind and suddenly he snapped into action.

"Amelia!" The Doctor nearly jumped as he began to set the co-ordinates for Leadworth, or at least that was what he believed he was doing at the time. He wasn't going to make the same mistake twice.

If Amelia/Amy could whack him with a cricket bat for mistaking five minutes for twelve years, then he dreaded to think what she was capable of if he arrived back to her twenty years since their last meeting.

There was something about Amy that didn't make sense — a lot of things and one of them was that massive house she was living in by herself (assuming Aunt Sharon had left) and the Doctor was determined to get to the bottom of it, one way or the other. Mystery aside, he also wanted to see her again and he let out a smile the second the TARDIS had landed.

"That's my girl." The Doctor gushed at the machine, patting the monitor as he then sauntered outside to greet who he presumed was a young Scottish girl.

"Amy?" The Doctor struggled with that speech when he was realised that he wasn't in the young woman's home.

"Excuse me?" A disgruntled, senior professor stared at the Doctor with a sense of furious contempt as the TARDIS had landed in the middle of his buffet. Not only had the Doctor realised he crashed a party but he also realised that he was responsible for the destruction of a buffet table at the same time.

"Sorry, about this, new machine, takes some getting used to." The Doctor looked sheepishly at the crowd. "I'm the Doctor by the way. Have any of you seen Amy Pond?"

"Doctor?" A familiar voice called out. The Doctor swore he recognised that voice and swerved his head to see who called him.

"Is that really you?" Another voice beside the first voice called out. Before the Doctor had to look further, both figures appeared from behind the couch they had been sitting on and stared at him.

"I don't believe it." The Doctor looked at both his former companions, impressed. "Chesterton, Barbara?"

"Is it you?" Barbara Chesterton had made her way towards the Doctor with Ian swiftly behind her. "And your knack for bad timing and parking hasn't changed either."

"Neither have you two by the looks of it." The Doctor pulled Barbara in for a hug while some gossiped about the three of them. "How long has it been?"

"Forty five years." Ian whispered into the Doctor's ears as he embraced the Time Lord in a hug. "It's good to see you but maybe we should take this reunion elsewhere."

The Doctor looked clueless for a few seconds but noticing the looks from everyone else at the Christmas party, particularly the professor whose buffet table he had destroyed, the Doctor was beginning to see Ian's point.

"Perhaps you're right." The Doctor smiled as he led both Ian and Barbara inside the TARDIS. "Just like old times, eh?"

Elsewhere in another part of England and a year earlier to the Doctor's reunion with the Chestertons, Amy Pond was having the night of her life. A few days go during the coldest picnic she had experienced in her life, Rory Williams had asked for her hand in marriage. For Amy, marriage wasn't something that had been on her list of priorities but she loved Rory and for better or worse, she didn't want to imagine a day without him either and immediately accepted the proposal.

Now a few days later and combating the fleet of snow that had descended on Leadworth, Amy was wondering if the idea of a costume theme for an engagement party had been a wise idea. Rory was fine in his outfit but apart from the jubilation from most people that Amy's generated, she was freezing.

"Here, this will help." Aunt Sharon had slinked herself between four extremely tipsy girls in order to bring her only niece a warm beverage. "Get that down you before you look like the Corpse Bride."

"Thanks, Aunt Shaz." Amy gulped the hot whiskey swiftly and then regretted downing it so fast, before looking at her Aunt, who she could read like a book. "What?"

"Anything you'd like to talk about?" Aunt Sharon wasn't particularly subtle on the point. "We can go outside if you want."

"In this weather, you've got to be kidding." Amy scoffed, before Rory joined her from behind. Amy moved herself up to her soon to be husband's lap and smiled affectionately at him. "Hey honey."

"Hey, yourself." Rory kissed his bride back, as he placed his fake Roman sword to a corner and ran his fingers through Amy's hair. Aunt Sharon, not keen on seeing their public displays of affection decided to head back to the bar in order to talk to Janice the barmaid.

"Hey, you two, you might want to leave something for the honeymoon." Barry, the proposed best man for the wedded shouted giddily at the amorous pair.

"Get a girlfriend, Barry." Amy responded in mumbling tone as kissing Rory didn't allow her to come up for air, though she did stop at one point just to look into his eyes.

"I already have one." Barry winked saucily as Janice cleaned glasses in between talking to Sharon and serving drinks. Janice ignored him.

"You'd be lucky." Jamie, another one of the groom's best friends scoffed as he finished the last of his pint and plopped his glass down in front of Janice. "Same again, please."

Janice smirked and grabbed the glass off Jamie, who she intended to get to know a little better after her shift was done. She was amused with the array of costumes that people were wearing for this engagement. Sharon had been persuaded into becoming a sexy pussycat whilst most of Amy's friends had been donned as something that wouldn't look too out of place in a circus or a brothel but Janice decided not to express that opinion openly.

As for Rory's mates, she had no idea what possessed them all to dress up as Mexican bandits but with the ponchos, oversized hats and comedy moustaches, they just looked ridiculous and it hadn't helped that they pounced on poor Jeff, mistaking him for Rory and ended up locking him in the boot of a car for a prank.

"Oh look, who's back." Jamie laughed as Jeff came in, dusting off his flashy tuxedo. "It's Lord Angelo himself."

"It's James Bond." Jeff muttered defensively as he pointed at his attire. "Shaken, not stirred."

"More like last to be served." Barry scoffed as he handed a pint to the ruffled young man. "Cheer up, it was meant for Rory."

"Yeah, thanks for that." Rory smirked, brandishing his fake sword playfully as Amy headed over towards Jeff. "Just ignore them, Jeff."

"Will do." Jeff sipped from his pint as Amy pulled up beside him to get the latest piece of gossip.

A hop and a skip later and the Doctor managed to correctly get the TARDIS to Ian and Barbara's home. The Doctor was tempted to comment as to why it was so easy for the TARDIS now to get him to the right time but didn't as Ian stepped out first and checked the Christmas cards on the mantle.

"I can't believe it; you actually got us to the right time." Ian smirked as he began pouring drinks for everyone. "That rackety machine of yours has improved last time we've seen you."

"How come you haven't aged?" The Doctor looked at both Ian and Barbara suspiciously. "This is 2010 and you still both look like the same people the last time I saw you. What changed?"

"I don't know." Barbara looked at the Doctor confused as she passed him his drink. "More to the point, how have you aged backwards?"

"Oh, the face." The Doctor tugged at his cheek. "Don't let it fool you, I'm still getting older."

"But you look remarkably younger." Ian smirked at the Doctor. "You didn't go near that crazy Lazarus man, did you?"

"Oh, definitely not." The Doctor shuddered as he thought about Richard Lazarus. Both him and Martha had stopped that man from inciting chaos. "Did you? Only one way to find out."

Both Ian and Barbara looked at the Doctor with interest. The Doctor then pulled out his sonic screwdriver and scanned the both of them, revealing what he had suspected all along with the two of them.

"And?" Barbara looked at the Doctor. He was dangling the screwdriver similarly to a thermometer, trying to make sure he was accurate with his finding.

"Your body clocks have slowed down." The Doctor looked at them both and then he made sure to give them the better news. "You're perfectly fine, you'll still die naturally but you're definitely going to have to watch yourselves with fellow colleagues in case they start asking some uncomfortable questions."

"UNIT have taken care of that." Ian answered as he finished the content of his glass. "In the late 1990's, they discovered us in a way and our connection to you. It did make for an interesting conversation."

"One that lasted a fortnight." Barbara reminded her husband as she too had finished her drink. The Doctor had only consumed a sip of his. "Still, what are you doing here?"

"And who's Amy Pond?" Ian asked and with that, the Doctor realised that he really did have a lot that he needed to discuss with his former companions.

There were a lot of words that Amy was more than aware that were used to describe her. Some were slightly less flattering than others but Amy always like the fact that people viewed her as direct, even if they didn't always appreciate her for being so.

"So, what's been happening with you?" Amy sipped her third hot whiskey as she smiled at Jeff finishing his pint.

"Nothing too interesting." Jeff placed his glass down and looked at Amy. It was a little hard not to with the costume she was wearing but he was also convinced that he was possibly the only man in this pub who didn't fancy her at this moment.

"Come on, you managed to do what most of us couldn't do and get out of Leadworth." Amy sipped her whiskey. "Surely, something exciting must be happening."

"If I tell you, I'd have to kill you." Jeff made a terrible attempt of a joke threat but Amy humoured him with a smile. "Actually, it's mostly grunt work and if I'm lucky, on the odd occasion I might get a look at something cool. They certainly do like to keep you in a pecking order."

Then Jeff put his left hand to his head and his mind flashed. A blond man was laughing maniacally. It was always the same blond man and then the vision went away. Jeff knew he wasn't the only one having it but he found it odd that no-one else in Leadworth was talking of it.

"Are you okay?" Amy noticed the man's disdain and motioned Janice for two extra whiskies. Jeff necked his one back in one go.

"Bad dreams." Jeff said, after finishing his drink. "You should get back to Rory, I'm going for a walk."

"Are you sure?" Amy asked. "I could come with you."

"I'll be fine, Amy." Jeff tried to reassure her. "Honestly, bit of fresh air, I'll be back in a bit. Barry probably just deprived me of oxygen when he shoved me in the boot."

As Jeff made his way out of the pub, bustling past Barry and a few lads and girls playing darts, Amy watched him for a minute and then focused her attention towards Rory, who was looking increasingly out of his depth with trying to cheer one of his other mates. Amy sauntered herself towards her soon to be husband and dragged him up off his feet.

"Fancy a walk?" Amy smiled as she kissed Rory on the cheek. Rory looked at her coyly for a minute.

"Normally, I'd remark about the cold." Rory started off, detecting that glint in his soon to be wife's eye. "But I'll just go with the flow, eh?"

"That helps." Amy smiled as both she and Rory managed to slip outside the pub without their friends, Aunt Sharon or Rory's parents noticing they had gone.

The Doctor had found that summing up over forty years of stories to the bare minimum hadn't been always the easiest of tasks. In some ways, he was fortunate that Ian and Barbara knew some of the stuff that had been happening in recent times such as the numerous invasions from Daleks and Cybermen, Harold Saxon's terrible reign and the Master causing bad dreams for everyone all over the place along with twenty six planets in the sky but it certainly amused him with how they both managed to absorb his version of events nonetheless.

"You really do have a knack for getting yourself into scrapes." Ian had poured the Doctor another drink as Barbara had brought in some mince pies for the three of them to eat. "Amy's certainly going to have to think on her feet with you."

"So, you don't think I'm making a mistake then?" The Doctor looked at both Ian and Barbara. "Going back for Amy?"

"I think it's better that she's adult now rather than a child." Barbara said, though she remembered both Susan and Vicki's knack for intuition as well with fending themselves. "But if it's her choice and she knows what she's letting herself in for, then I say good luck to you both."

"Thank you." The Doctor smiled as he looked around the home that Ian and Barbara had made for themselves. It was lived in, loved and the diplomas and other accomplishments had also scattered various areas of the house as well. He beamed with pride at both Ian and Barbara.

Amy was freezing and making a poor attempt of hiding it. Despite Rory's offers of trying to keep her warm with his Roman cape, Amy decided to brave the cold as she looked for Jeff, still worried about him and then she heard Rory's phone beep.

"You needn't worry. He's alright." Rory paraphrased the message from his phone. "He's gone to bed, said he'll see us tomorrow and also said congrats to the happy couple."

"You sound surprised." Amy noticed that Rory's tone had slightly changed with the last bit of the sentence. "It was never me he fancied."

Rory took a moment to process Amy's last sentence as he realised. Well, that certainly cleared up something. Now all Rory had to do was clarify another small matter as he stopped Amy outside the post office.

"What?" Amy looked at him puzzled.

"You're rubbish at lying." Rory looked into Amy's eyes with seriousness in his own.

"Am not." Amy protested but Rory was unconvinced. "Fine, what do you want me to say?"

"You thought the Doctor would show up." Rory finished for her. "You thought with Jeff's talk of bad dreams, it would be the kind of thing that would get his attention."

"I thought us getting married would be the kind of thing to get his attention." Amy confessed. "I don't know why, I just did."

"Maybe we will see him again." Rory chided her. "On our big day or maybe next Christmas. He came back once, there's no reason why he won't again."

"I love you, Rory Williams." Amy looked into Rory's eyes, stroked his hair and pulled him for a kiss. "Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas, Amy." Rory smiled. "Now let's get back to our engagement party before someone needs a spaceship to find us."

"Lead the way." Amy smiled as she held Rory's hand and walked in the snow and back to their local. She looked up at the stars and smiled, hoping that one day Rory's words would come true.

_Come back Doctor_.

A couple of hours later and after hearing some late night carollers, the Doctor looked at Ian and Barbara and smiled.

"I guess this is goodbye." The Doctor hugged both Ian and Barbara. "But not for long."

"Merry Christmas, Doctor." Ian said, looking at the Time Lord and realising that despite looking much younger than the last time he saw him, there was still time in his eyes.

"Don't be a stranger." Barbara said as Ian pulled her in for an embrace.

The Doctor looked at the happy couple one last time before getting into his machine and flying off. After all, there was a young Scottish girl in Leadworth that he intended to visit much earlier than Christmas.

- The End -

Chapter 12

**Name:** It's Just What I Always Wanted  
**Characters:** Sarah Jane Smith, Luke Smith, Clyde Langer, Rani Chandra, Jo Jones, Santiago Jones.  
**Synopsis: **Christmas Day on Bannerman Road and the gang receive the strangest of gifts from an old friend as does a woman and her grandson on the other side of the world. Set after the events of _Goodbye, Sarah Jane Smith_.

Luke Smith was not a young man that was always impressed or surprised with the latest crazes that most people his age were adept to but even he was surprised with the item he had received.

Sanjay literally had to put himself in front of Luke's car in order to pass on the gift and after Luke had eyed the clumsily wrapped present with interest, he placed it in the backseat and headed off to see his mother and friends with the intent of spending three days of uncomplicated bliss — assuming that Bannerman Road and the rest of London could manage a Christmas without alien intervention for once.

In the Andes, Jo Jones and her grandson Santiago had trekked back to their camp and while both of them were hungry and exhausted, their attentions soon turned to the gifts that had been left for them under the makeshift tree they had placed in the tent.

It was odd, Santiago had thought. He had opened up all his presents from his respective family. Who else would send him such a gift? Jo too, had a similar look of suspicion on her face as well when she realised that someone had left her something extra under the tree this year.

Sarah Jane had been sitting in her attic, waiting for the gang to return from the shops but while they were gone, she had been alarmed to realise that someone had made their way into her house. When Sarah Jane had made her way to the attic, a present was left for her, one that she had not been expecting.

Clyde Langer had gotten through all his present and while the variations of computer games, CDs and art sets were certainly enough to keep him entertained throughout January, he couldn't help but notice that an extra gift was under the tree for him. He was tempted to scold his mother for splashing out too much but she had denied it and was as surprised to see the gift as Clyde had been.

Rani Chandra had been busy that day on her computer, updating her journal for the last three days and while she had managed to avoid visiting her aunt with her parents, there was a part of her that sort of wished she wasn't home alone. She mentally told herself that within the next hour, she would stop what she was doing and would go and pay Sarah Jane and Luke a visit and stop by Clyde's if he wasn't with the gang already. And then Rani heard a noise at the door.

When Rani had gone to the door, no-one was there but left on the mat outside was a gift. Rani eyed the gift with suspicion but took it nonetheless and went back inside. She placed it on the table in her kitchen, uncertain as to whether or not to open it but then something overcame her and she reached for the gift and began to unwrap.

As Rani had been the first to unwrap the gift, a chain was set in motion and soon she was not the only one unwrapping their present. Back in the Andes, Santiago caved into his curiosity and unwrapped his present with Jo swiftly following him.

In his car, Luke had remembered his present and overcome with the curiosity, he too had unwrapped his present while in his bedroom, Clyde pulled the gift out from under his bed and finally opened it and had wondered why he hadn't done it beforehand.

When Mr Smith and K9 had both been unable to scan the gift, Sarah Jane decided to bite the bullet and then open her present. She was blown back as the gift coursed through her veins, awakening every part of her but the one thing that Sarah Jane was aware of was the fact that she wasn't the only one having this experience.

Standing in two different parts of the worlds but all seperate from each other on Christmas Day, Sarah Jane, Luke, Clyde, Rani, Jo and Santiago listened to the most beautiful, ethereal Christmassy music they had ever heard in their lives. Music that filled them with hope, love and reassurance that no matter what, they weren't alone.

The music cascaded all over them for a half an hour and when it stopped, each one of them let out a sigh of relief. Jo and Santiago hugged each other in their small tent before stepping outside and looking up towards the sky. It had become clear who exactly had sent them this particular gift.

On Bannerman Road, Sarah Jane, Luke, Clyde and Rani had stepped out in the snow and onto the street where they also embraced one another and smiled before looking up at the sky. They too had become aware of who had bestowed this unusual but benign gift on them. After all, it wouldn't be the first time this particular man had surprised them.

The stars were out in force on this particular Christmas Day. Afternoon had quickly descended into evening and while London had managed to be a chaos free zone this Christmas, Sarah Jane smiled as from the corner of her eye she spotted a blue box zooming over the sky as did Luke, Clyde and Rani.

In the Andes, minutes later, both Jo Jones and Santiago spotted the same blue box zooming over the sky and smiled. One day, she would see him again but for now this was exactly what she wanted this Christmas and she had a feeling that a certain woman on Bannerman Road received the same gift as well.

- The End -

Chapter 13

**Name:** Fairytale Of New York  
**Characters:** 2nd Doctor, Ben Jackson, Polly Wright.  
**Synopsis: **A trip to New York sees the Doctor, Ben and Polly celebrate Christmas in style. Set between _The Power Of The Daleks_ and _The Highlanders_.

The co-ordinates were set and the place was decided. The Doctor had asked both his companions, Ben Jackson and Polly Wright where they would like to go and both of them chose New York within sync of each other. Both then let out an embarrassed laugh when they had realised what they had done.

"And we're here." The Doctor smiled proudly as he was the first one to step outside and to his embarrassment, he had realised where exactly he had landed. "Of all the places."

"The view's not bad, eh duchess?" Ben was less worried at first about the location of their landing as Polly had stepped out excited and was the first to comment on where in New York they had landed.

"You couldn't have picked somewhere other than the Statue of Liberty to land on?" Polly teased the Doctor.

"Maybe we should find somewhere a little less attention seeking." The Doctor reasoned as he looked at both his companions dubiously.

Back inside the TARDIS the trio headed and within two minutes, the ship had gone from landing on the Statue of Liberty to a more modest back alley. Ben was the first one to step outside this time, hoping that the TARDIS's erratic landing patterns didn't have them upside down or something just as ludicrous. He was relieved when it was a back alley instead.

"This works, Doctor." Ben smiled as both the Doctor and Polly had followed him outside and even though they weren't on a great big height, the trio were still impressed by their surroundings.

"It's snowing." Ben was the first one to point out as he dusted some of it out of his hair and looked at Polly retreating into the TARDIS and coming back out with a longer and warmer coat.

"It's beautiful." Polly countered as she gaped at the majestic buildings and the hustle and bustle of the streets. "I've always wanted to come here."

"Since when?" The Doctor asked, curious about the girl's infectious delight, a delight that he could see through Ben's eyes as well.

"Since I was about six." Polly answered, though she wasn't looking at the Doctor. "One year, I was meant to come here with my family but ..."

Polly trailed off, remembering the reason why her plans for going to New York had ended that year. It had been a while since she thought about it and for a moment, she let out a sigh.

"Duchess?" Ben looked at her, putting his hand on her shoulder. "Are you alright?"

"Fine." Polly brushed off the young man's concern and then the Doctor's. "Really, I'm fine. Just some old memories, that's all."

"Now what should we do?" The Doctor said all too quickly as he thought that changing the subject might be exactly what Polly wanted at the moment. "Not everyday you come to New York by time machine."

"Or everyday you come to New York in 2008 by time machine." Ben had picked up a newspaper that was half sticking out of the bin. Before the Doctor could look at it, Polly took it first.

"Or New York at Christmas." Polly read the date on the paper before giving the paper to the Doctor. "I should be an old woman by now."

"We all get older at some point." Ben acknowledged as he looked over the street and spotted some carollers singing. He smiled appreciatively at them as did Polly and the Doctor when they looked over too.

"So, what do we do now?" The Doctor asked his companions. "The whole of New York at Christmas, what's it to be?"

Ben and Polly realised that their options were pretty limitless at this point, especially given that the Doctor had also funded them nicely for this trip. There was some Christmas shopping to be had, a visit to a few local pubs, sight seeing and Polly herself really wanted to take in a show at the nearest theatre she could find. Between themselves, the Doctor, Ben and Polly decided that they would split up and meet back at the TARDIS at 11pm, giving them all enough time to actually enjoy their trip to New York.

Ben's first point of entry was to head to get something for Polly and the Doctor. After all, it was Christmas and whilst being bamboozled by an older woman at a stall into giving the Doctor a piece of music called, "Fairytale Of New York", buying for Polly had proved a more trying task.

"Do you need help, sir?" A snooty man in his late forties eyed Ben with suspicion in a jewellery store. Ben was looking at a pair of sapphire earrings. "Something for the lady in your life, perhaps?"

"Oh, yeah." Ben smiled at the man, whose own smile was far from pleasant or warm. "Bit of late Christmas shopping. How much for the earrings?"

"$360." The man said simply, taking a slight glee in Ben's apprehension. "Though I'm sure I can provide you with something less expensive."

"No, it's fine." Ben said calmly, though he was ready to punch the surly git. "Here's $400, keep the change."

Ben then took some small satisfaction in the annoyed look the clerk gave him as he wrapped up the earrings in fancy paper and then handed them to Ben in a fancy bag. Ben didn't even respond when the man insincerely told him to have a good day on his way our of the store.

Polly had found herself enjoying a matinee with the Doctor and while his commentary during the production of _Cats_ was unneeded, it hadn't deterred her enjoyment of the show a jot. After going her seperate way with the Doctor, Polly decided it was high time to do some shopping of her own.

Shopping for the Doctor had been surprisingly easy. She had seen the childlike desire on his face when they had passed a music shop and there had been some special ebony wooden recorders on display. After spending the good part of twenty minutes recanting some of her history (well, the bits that didn't relate to spaceships, aliens and time travel) by an easily impressed owner, Polly had purchased three of the recorders for the Doctor for $60 and left, pleased with herself.

"Goodbye, English." The owner of the store shouted as Polly left the building. "Don't be a stranger."

"I won't." Polly laughed as she decided exactly what Ben's present was going to be.

The hours had passed and the Doctor had been back inside his TARDIS, wondering if he should've gotten both Ben and Polly gifts. Both of them insisted that he didn't need to as the trip to New York was a gift enough but the Doctor decided that two small tokens wouldn't be sniffed at by his companions. When he had finished dusting off the controls, both Ben and Polly had stepped into the TARDIS, looking slightly different.

"Are you still Ben and Polly?" The Doctor asked the pair of them teasingly. "Well, I recognise Polly anyways."

"What, are you saying I don't look good in a suit?" Ben teased the Doctor. Polly had bought him a fancy suit.

"Very nice." The Doctor smiled as he then noticed that Polly was wearing some lovely earrings. "Nice to see you've treated yourselves."

"Don't worry we got you something as well." Polly smiled as she gave him the recorders and Ben passed on the CD. The Doctor looked at the CD with curiosity.

"Thank you both." The Doctor placed the items on the console before handing over Ben and Polly their gifts.

"Merry Christmas, Doctor." Ben and Polly said in unison.

"Merry Christmas." The Doctor answered back. "Now where to next?"

And with that both Ben and Polly smiled as the TARDIS filled with the sound of a Christmas ditty and the Doctor's attempts of playing to it with the recorder. As they danced with each other, they realised that this was a merry Christmas indeed.

- The End -

Chapter 14

**Name:** Glad Tidings  
**Characters:** 6th Doctor, Evelyn Smythe, Original Character.  
**Synopsis: **A trip to New York sees the Doctor, Ben and Polly celebrate Christmas in style. Set between _Mindwarp _and _Terror Of The Vervoids.___

"Okay, grandma, you have five seconds to tell me what the hell you and Krusty the Clown are doing in my house or I'm calling the police?"

A young man had entered the small home, the owner and he wasn't in a good mood. Evelyn Smythe and her friend the Doctor had been caught in a terrible position. Half the young man's presents had been unwrapped and despite knowing better, Evelyn had helped herself to some of the young man's chocolates left on a table.

"Chocolate?" Evelyn tried to lighten the mood as she offered him the half-eaten box but when he looked at her with sheer annoyance, Evelyn decided it was wise to place the box down on the settee as the Doctor continued to scan and unwrap presents.

"No, that's not it either." The Doctor discarded some unflattering underwear to a corner. It was only then he noticed that neither him nor Evelyn were the only ones in the house. "I can explain."

"You'd better." Alex Granger scowled at the two strangers as he took out his mobile phone, ready to call the police. "And fast."

"There's a bomb in your house." The Doctor said briskly. Evelyn elbowed him in the sides.

"Doctor!"

"What?" The Doctor looked at his companion with confusion. "He needed to know."

"What do you mean there's a bomb in my house?" Alex looked at the pair unconvinced. "I've only been gone for five minutes."

"A lot can happen in five minutes." The Doctor countered. Alex's expression soured a little.

"Such as two mental patients breaking into my house and unwrapping my presents by the looks of it." Alex began to dial for the police. "Sorry, but I really don't have time for this."

Before the phone could ring, the Doctor flicked his sonic screwdriver towards it, rendering the phone useless as it snapped out of Alex's hand. Alex's expression darkened as now he began to wonder just how dangerous these two were.

"Who are you?" Alex barked at the pair, though there was a hint of trepidation behind his anger.

"I'm Evelyn Smythe and this is the Doctor." Evelyn extended her hand for Alex to shake and cautiously he accepted it. "And we're not dangerous."

"Most of the time." The Doctor interrupted as he had unwrapped and scanned all of Alex's presents, disappointed that none of them were the bomb.

"Is there really a bomb in my house?" Alex looked at the Doctor nervously.

"Yes." That was all the Doctor felt that was needed to be said for the moment.

"Then why can't I hear any ticking?" Alex asked the pair. "Bombs usually tick, don't they?"

"Not all bombs." The Doctor began to scan around the rest of the house, starting the electrical stuff.

"Great." Alex watched as the Doctor was scanning furiously, before realising. "Why my house?"

"Long story." The Doctor didn't look at the young man as he kept scanning. Evelyn had also started looking around the place. Alex looked at the pair with exasperation before deciding that he needed to help the pair. Things had already gone rotten for him this week and the last he needed was to be blown to smithereens on Christmas Eve of all days.

Twenty minutes had passed and the Doctor had literally screeched eureka when he had located the bomb. Out of everything that could've been a bomb, Alex had feared it would've been his car but there was a sigh of relief when it had turned out to be have been some old broken down PC that he had meant to get fixed ages ago. He figured that once the Doctor and the old woman were finished, he'd be doing some January sales shopping for a new computer.

"Stay back, this could be tricky." The Doctor pointed towards a corner as he began the process of disassembling the PC in order to locate the actual bomb.

"Does he do this thing a lot?" Alex whispered to Evelyn as the Doctor was in deep concentration.

"Quite a lot." Evelyn smiled. "There's always an adventure with the Doctor, one way or the other."

"There." The Doctor smiled as he turned around to face both Evelyn and Alex. "All better."

"Just like that?" Alex looked at the Doctor as the former PC was in pieces and all the wirings had been disabled. "Well, now that that's done, would you mind telling me how you both knew a bomb was left in my house?"

"Glad tidings." The Doctor said as he grabbed Evelyn's arm and headed for the door. "We've gotta go."

"Hang on a minute, I want an explanation." Alex called out to the Doctor and Evelyn but both of them had made it outside and before Alex could catch up with them, the Doctor had sealed himself and the older female into a blue box that promptly disappeared.

Alex had watched the blue box fade from existence and then looked at the print it had left in the snowy grass before heading back inside, confused. It would be fifteen years later after the invention of the Glad Tidings translator device for non-Earth speaking alien life forms that Alex would have clarity on his encounter with the Doctor and Evelyn. That he would have eventually realised that they were deliberately prevented his death and by doing so, had helped him bridge a slighter amiable relationship between humans and aliens. When that day came, Alex raised a glass of champagne at the launch of his project to a crowd and announced thanks to the Doctor and Evelyn. Somewhere in the crowd, he knew they were there smiling at him.

_Glad tidings indeed_.

- The End -


End file.
